Canada Basketball has announced a 23-player athlete pool, and coaching staff, for the Senior Men’s National Team ahead of Window 3 and Window 4 of the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers this summer.
The announcement was made Monday at the OVO Athletic Centre in Toronto by Rowan Barrett, Executive Vice-President and General Manager, Men’s High Performance, and Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach, Gordie Herbert.
Canada will open Window 3 at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ont., hosting Puerto Rico on July 3 before facing Jamaica on July 6, returning to Hamilton for the first time in four years.
Window 4 will include an away fixture before Canada returns home to host at Videotron Centre in Quebec City on Aug. 31, marking the Senior Men’s National Team’s first game in the province of Quebec in eight years.
Tickets to all home games are on sale now at Ticketmaster.ca.
Canada enters the summer following a historic bronze-medal performance at the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023 — the best finish in program history — highlighted by an overtime victory over the United States in the bronze-medal game.
Slide 4 of 7.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the First Team All-Star Five All-Tournament team, while Dillon Brooks earned Defensive Player of the Tournament honours in 2023.
“This quad, our expectation is to get to the top of the podium,” said Barrett. “We believe that we have the athletes, we believe we have the experience, and now we believe we have the coaching set in place for us to take that next step.”
Monday also marked the first official media availability for Gordie Herbert since being appointed head coach last summer.
“It is an unbelievable honour to have the opportunity to coach this country,” said Herbert. “I don’t know if there’s a bigger honour for a coach, than to be able to coach your country.”
Herbert joins the program with a winning track record and a reputation as one of international basketball’s most accomplished coaches. He guided Germany to a historic FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup title in 2023 and followed it up with a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“When I start with a national team program, I give a vision. It’s not where we were, it’s not where we are, but where we’re going. And the vision I have for us, going forward, is a gold medal at the World Cup, and Gold at the Olympics.”
Herbert also unveiled his coaching staff for the summer, featuring a strong Canadian contingent alongside international experience. Joining Herbert on the bench will be Jama Mahlalela, Nathaniel Mitchell and Hanno Möttölä.
Mahlalela currently serves as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors and brings extensive NBA and international experience, including previous stints with the Golden State Warriors during their championship run, and the Raptors 905.
Mitchell has been part of Canada Basketball’s high performance pathway for several years, most recently serving as head coach during the program’s previous two FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifier windows, in addition to leading Canada to a fourth-place finish at the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup 2025.
Möttölä, a former Finnish national team player and coach, brings extensive international experience to the staff, and coached along with Mitchell in window 1 and 2 and the World Cup Qualifiers.
Senior Men’s National Team – Athlete Pool
Nickeil Alexander-Walker — Toronto, Ont.
RJ Barrett — Mississauga, Ont.
Charles Bediako — Brampton, Ont.
Aaron Best — Scarborough, Ont.
Khem Birch — Montréal, Que.
Dillon Brooks — Mississauga, Ont.
Marcus Carr — Toronto, Ont.
Nate Darling — Halifax, N.S.
Luguentz Dort — Montréal, Que.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Hamilton, Ont.
Kyshawn George — Montreal, Que.
Kur Jongkuch — London, Ont.
Mfiondu Kabengele — Burlington, Ont.
Thomas Kennedy — Windsor, Ont.
Bennedict Mathurin — Montréal, Que.
Leonard Miller — Scarborough, Ont.
Andrew Nembhard — Aurora, Ont.
Ryan Nembhard — Aurora, Ont.
Kelly Olynyk — Kamloops, B.C.
Will Riley — Kitchener, Ont.
Kassius Robertson — Toronto, Ont.
Jackson Rowe — Toronto, Ont.
Kyle Wiltjer — Portland, Ore.
Coaching Staff
Gordie Herbert — Head Coach
Jama Mahlalela — Assistant Coach
Nathaniel Mitchell — Assistant Coach
Hanno Möttölä — Assistant Coach
Final rosters for Window 3 and Window 4 training camps will be announced at a later date.
Canada currently sits fifth in the latest FIBA Men’s world rankings presented by NIKE. Single-game tickets for Canada’s games in Hamilton and Quebec City are available at ticketmaster.ca.